Driver Strikes CTV Kitchener Photojournalist at Crash Scene

A veteran television photojournalist suffered serious injuries while covering a traffic collision near Shakespeare, Ontario, after a motorist drove past a road closure and struck him at the scene. Dave Pettitt, 65, a longtime camera operator for CKCO/CTV Kitchener, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to CTV News. His condition has since stabilized.

Pettitt was filming a three-vehicle collision while wearing a safety vest and standing beside clearly marked road-closure signs. The driver reportedly passed flashing lights, orange pylons, and road-closed signage before the incident left the journalist with multiple severe injuries. According to CTV News, Pettitt sustained a head injury, facial fractures, a C1 neck fracture, a shattered elbow, and leg trauma.

Medical updates indicated that his condition had stabilized following hospitalization.

Ontario Provincial Police confirmed that the motorist drove around the traffic-control measures at the scene. Police also noted that a second driver passed through a separate barricade at the same location shortly afterward.

The incident marks the second time a member of the CTV News Kitchener team has been struck by a vehicle while covering an incident at a closed-road scene. The previous case involved reporter Stephanie Villella in 2023. News crews covering traffic collisions and other emergencies often work near active roadways and within emergency perimeters. The incident involving Pettitt highlights the physical risks faced by journalists documenting events in areas where vehicles may still be moving.

In this case, the road closure was marked by flashing lights, orange pylons, and signs indicating that the road was closed. Despite those measures, police reported that two drivers passed through separate barricades at the scene.